I chose to look at the poem "immigrants in our own land". Also, I will be using this poem for essay #2.
The poem is about the life of a new inmate at a prison. The speaker is an inmate himself. He is describing the life within the jail with an optimistic tone that he expects to diminish. He mostly describes the emotional and mental conditions within the prison with less effort in describing the physical prison itself. I think the message is to inform the reader of these emotional and mental conditions of being in prison and how they change over time while in prison. I try to put myself in the shoes of a prison inmate. It most definitely would not be easy to stay optimistic while in prison. This is what appealed to me most about this poem. The author served his sentence and left prison fully rehabilitated and ready to help others. I'm always inspired by hearing of people that persevere through tough and challenging times. Here is the link to Jimmy Santiago Baca's wikipedia page. A very inspiring individual.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI liked your take on the poem "Immigrants in Our Own Land." After all of the reading about Poetry of Witness it is all about suffering and struggle so it is nice to hear someone take a positive look at a poem of witness. It is hard to try and imagine yourself in prison if you have never been but I think the author really does well at describing what really goes on in an inmates head. Great job! Good luck with your essay!